The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-01-19

in Sin, Let All Else Go But SAL
walton.
in the early part Of DR.. Talmage's sermon OF
January 2 near the beginning in the calculation
Of the amount Of labor necessary 70 the CONVEX
sion Of the world ny mistake the words twenty
FIVE were printed instead 81 three several
times The change Of reading makes it neces-
saTy ia a passage Of thr same paragraph 10 sub
stitute the words 'thirty-two for ten as
printed ED.i
BRooKLYy, Jan. IG.--For many years the
Brooklyn Tabernacle, the largest Protestant
church in America has been thronged twice
on the Sabbath-eyery available inch occu-
pied, even the aisles, pulpit. stairs and door
ways, and muititndes going away unable 10
get in. Dr. Talmage recently announced to
his congregation that If the present building
could be sold for an academy Of music an
other church, one holding 10000 people,
would be erected. This morning, after ex-
pounding the scriptures, he gave out the
hymn:
sinner turn. Why viii ye dies
God, your maker, asks you why
The subject Of the sermon was Broken
Pieces Of the Ship and the text, Acts xvii,
A: "Some on broken pieces OF the ship" DR..
Tslmage spoke as follows:
Never of Goodwin Sands, or the Sllerries,
or Cape Hatteras, was ship in worse pre-
dicanent than in the Mediterranean hurricane
was the grain ship, on which Z'G passengers
were driven on the coast Of Malta, five miles
from the metropolis Of that island, called
Citta Vecchia. After a two weeks tempest
and the ship wns entirely disabled and captain
and crew had become completely democrat
led an old missionary took command of the
vessel He was small crooked backed and
sore eyed, according 10 tradition. 10 was
Paul the only unscared man aboard. He was
no more afraid Of n EuroclydOn tossing the
Mediterranean sea, now up 10 the gates Of
heaven aud now sinking it 10 the gates Of
hell, than he was afraid Of a kitten playing
with a string. lie ordered them all down to
take their ratious, first asking for them a
blessing. Then he insured ali their lives, tell
ing them they would lie rescued, and, 50 far
from losing their heads, they would not lose
50 much Of their hair as you could cut Off
with one click of the scissors; aye, not u
thread Of il, whether it were gray with age
or golden with youth There shall not hair
fall from the head OF any Of you"
Knowing that they can never get 20 the de
sired port, they make the sea on the four
teenth night black with overthrow cargo, so
that when the ship strikes it win not strike
SO heavily. AT daybrcal, they saw a creek,
and in their cxigency resolved 90 make for it.
And 50 they cut the cables took in the two
paddles that they had on these old boats and
hoisted the mainsail, SO that they might come
with such force as 10 be- driven high up on the
beach by some fortunate billow. There she
goes, tumbling toward the rocks, now Prov
foremost, now stern foremost; now rolling
over 10 starboard, now wave dashe5 clear
over the deck, and it seems as If the old craft
has gone forever. But up She comes again.
Paurs arm around a mast, he cries. "All is
well; God has given nue. all those that sail with
men Crash went the PROV with cuch force
that it broke Off the mast crash went the
timbers till the seas rushed through from side
10 side of the vessel She parted Gnndships,
and into IA thousand fragments the vessel
goes. and into tho waves 2l6 inmortals are
precipitatcd Some Of them had been
brought mp on the seasbore and had learned
to swim, and with their chin Just above the
waves and by stroke Of both arms and pro-
pulsion Of both feet they put out for the
beach and reach it, But, alas, for those
Others They have never learned 20 swim,
or they We're wounded by the falling of the
mast, or the nervous shock was too great
for them. And others had been weakened by
long seasicl,ness.
Oh, what will become Of theme Take that
piece Of a rldder.n says Paul TO one take
that fragment of "A SPAR" says Paul to an
other. Take That table Take that image
Of Castor and Pollux Take that plank from
the lifebont. Take anything and head for the
beach" What n struggle for life in the
breakers! Oh, the merclless waters, how they
sweep over the heads of men, women and
chidren Hold on therel Almost ashore,
keep up your Couragel Remember what
Paul told you. There, the receding wave on
the beach leaves in the sand a whole family.
There crawls up out Of the surf the centurion.
There another plank comes in with a life
clinging fast to it, There another piece of
the shattered vessel with its freightage of an
immortal soul They must by this time all
be saved Yes, there comes in last of all-for
he had been overseeing the rest-the old mis-
sionary, who wrings the water from his gray
beard aud cries out: THANK God, all are
here!n
Gather them around a fire and cali the
roll. Paul builds n fire, and when the
bundles of sticks begin to crackle, and,
standing and sitting around the blaze, the
passengers begin TO recover from their chill,
and their wet clothes begin to dry and
warmth begins TO come into all the shivering
passengers, let the purser of the vessel go
round and see if any of the poor creatures are
missing. Not one Of the crowd that were
plunged into the sea. How it relieves our
anxiety as we read: Some on broken pieces
of the ship and so it came to pass they all
escaped safe TO land
Having on previous occasions looked at the
other passengers, 1 conflne myself to-day to
an examination of those who came in on
broken pieces of the ship. There is some
thing about them that excites in me an in
tense interest | am not SO much interested
in those that could swim They got ashore
as | expected. A mile of water is not a very
great undertaking for strong swimmer or
even two miles are not. But cannot stop
thinking about those on broken pieces OF
the ship. The great gospel ship is the finest
vessel of the universe and can carry more
passengers than any craft ever constructed,
and you could no moro wreck it than you
could wreck the throne of God Almighty. ]
wish all the people would come aboard of her.
could not promise a smooth voyage, for oft
times 1t win be tempestuous or a chopped sea,
but could promise safe arrival for all who
took passage on that Great Eastern, SO called
by me because its commander came out of the
east, the star of the east a badge of his
authority.
But vast multitude do not take regular
passage. Their theology is broken in pieces,
anu thtiA TIC Il btOlNtu III pAeSSS, anu Their
habits are broken in pieces, and their worldly
and spiritual prospects are broken in pieces,
and yet believe they are going TO reach the
shining shore. and l am encouraged by the
experience OF those people who are spoken of
in the text: Some ON broken pieces Of the
ship
One object i'll this sermon is TO encourage
all those who cannot take the whole system
of religion as we believe it, but who really
believe something, to come ashore ON that
one plank. do not underrate the value of a
great theological system, but where in all the
Bible IS there anything that SAYS: Believe
in John Calvin and thou shalt be saved; or
believe in Arlninius and thou shalt be saved;
or believe in the Synod of bort and thou
shalt be saved; or believe in the Thirty-nine
Articles and thou shalt be savedg A man
may be orthodox and go TO hell, or orthodox
and go to heaven. The man who in the deep
affection Of his heart accepts Christ is saved
and the man who does not accept Him is
lost
believe in both the Heidelberg and West
minister catechisfns, and wish you all did,
but you may believe in nothing they contan
except tho one idea that Christ came to save
sinners, and that yop are one of them, and
you are instantly rescued. IL YOU can come
in on the grand old Ship would rather have
you get aboard, but II you can find only a
piece of wood as long as the human body, or
piece as wide as the outspread human
arms, and either Of them is piece of the
cross, come in on that piece. Tens of thou
sands of people are to-day kept out of the
kingdom of God because they cannot be-
lieve everything.
am talking with man thoughtful about
his soul, who has lately Travelled through New
England and passed the night at Andover
He says to me; Il cannot believe that In this
life the destiny IS irrevocably fixed; think
there viii be another opportunity of repent
ance after death | say to him: aAly